Giving to Haiti
Irina Bokova and Michaëlle Jean call on donors to fulfill their promises to Haiti (Heed Your Promises, Donors - Jan. 11). No specific mention is made of the Haitian government's responsibilities or actions. The international community is acting as if there were no government in Haiti. In fact there is one - corrupt, inefficient, and irresponsible - and this is why all the development aid that has poured into the country over the past decades has produced no benefit for Haitians. Haiti's politics and its rulers are the main problem, not money or training, and doing as if they were not is delusional.
Jean Daudelin, Carleton University, Ottawa
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Tiger moms
What a brave book to write (Confessions Of A Tiger Mom - Jan. 11)! It appears that Amy Chua has more than her share of self-esteem. It should be noted, however, that we all want the best for our kids no matter what our parenting style. It's kind of ironic that my kids are turning out just as fine as Ms. Chua's even though I have allowed sleepovers, play dates, a boyfriend, drums and drama.
Sheila Zerr, Burlington, Ont.
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Amy Chua's book highlights one segment of Chinese parenting in the West to the detriment of another swath of the community. According to recent census data, the majority of Chinese-Canadians grow up in low-income households, and within this group children typically do not play musical instruments or devote many hours to homework.
Many Chinese-Canadian youths from low-income backgrounds face problems of underachievement and criminality. I grew up in a very poor Chinese family where none of my siblings completed postsecondary schooling. I was arrested twice as a teenager and dropped out of high school before eventually finishing at age 20. However, I did go on to get degrees from the University of Toronto and Princeton, where I faced a cultural shock when meeting Chinese students there who conformed to Ms. Chua's background.
Because the Chinese tiger mom stereotype is so ingrained, few, if any, outreach programs target at-risk Chinese youths. Some of my childhood Chinese friends are now in jail or drug addicts because people in authority always thought our households resembled Ms. Chua's.
Kai L. Chan, New York
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Politics and tragedy
I agree with Margaret Wente that Jared Loughner and the pathetic rogues gallery of Oswald, Manson, Hinckley and Lépine who preceded him were motivated more by the voices in their heads than by any coherent political ideology.
That said, I don't agree that this lets the rest of us off the hook. Politicians aren't fully responsible for the way their discourse shapes the public consciousness, but does that mean they bear no responsibility?
Charles Manson was fond not only of the Beatles, but also of the science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein, seeing himself as a living incarnation of the book's main character. No one in their right mind would accuse Heinlein (or the Beatles) of being responsible for Manson's murderous rampages, but Heinlein himself apparently admitted to feeling tremendous guilt after the Tate killings.
Am I saying that Heinlein should have somehow censored himself? Of course not. But he put a message out into the public sphere, and as moral person he felt some responsibility for what an immoral, amoral person did with that message. Perhaps there's a lesson in there for all of us.
Mark Shainblum, Montreal
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The legitimization of violence as a part of politics is part of the problem, and right-wing figures like Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh have contributed to it. The rhetoric of the right has been far more steeped in apocalyptic and violent imagery than that of the left. Their hyperbole, demonization and paranoia makes it that much easier for any extremist or just plain crazy, to "justify" violence.
Hollywood does its bit, too, presenting villains so evil the audience can enjoy their deaths, no matter how cruel, and the gun lobby has worked hard to ensure that no violent criminal has to go without massive ammo clips and rapid-fire weapons. Reasonable gun laws and a more serious approach to political debate would help. Sad to say, I'm not holding my breath.
Bryson Brown, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alta.
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The connection between the tragic shootings in Arizona and political rhetoric may well be, as Margaret Wente points out, dubious.
However, we should not underestimate the power of words. Politicians and pundits alike need to weigh their words carefully and consider their implications to those who may take them literally. Even the actions of a deranged man do not take place in a vacuum. Otherwise, these shootings would have occurred randomly rather than at a political event.
There must be some reflection on the part of those who use rhetoric that there may be consequences that were unintended. Toning down the debate would be a good start.
Joel Weinstein, Thornhill, Ont.
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Discrimination
In the, quite proper, furor about discrimination in the Halton Catholic school board (Halton Catholic School Board Under Fire For Banning Gay-Straight Alliances - Jan. 10) one small issue seems to have been overlooked. This refusal to work within Ontario Ministry of Education guidelines is being paid for with my (and your) tax dollars.
In an economic climate where most regions are struggling to meet budget shortfalls by cutting services to seniors and needy children, we, the good people of Ontario, are funding discriminatory school boards. Enough already!
Jim Young, Burlington, Ont.
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Trade agreements
Maude Barlow's excellent column on the dangers of the proposed Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (What You Don't Know About A Deal You Haven't Heard Of - Jan. 6) prompted a predictable response from Canada's Trade Minister (Jan. 10). He dragged out the old saw about how the same people who fought NAFTA are now fighting CETA.
What planet is Peter Van Loan living on? He should visit some of Canada's formerly thriving forestry towns if he wants a better sense of NAFTA's legacy. Good-paying manufacturing jobs have long since declined, yet governments of all stripes seem to clap hands when part-time service jobs spike upward. This is not about fighting yesterday's free trade battles.
The path taken by Minister Van Loan and Prime Minister Stephen Harper is the straight-line path to becoming a servile, impotent state.
Dave Coles, president, Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, Ottawa